Slaughterhouse CD

Audio Mixers: Arnold Mischkulnig; Doug Wilson; Jason Schweitzer.
Photographer: Chad Griffith.
Something of a halfway house for label-troubled rappers, Slaughterhouse brings together four rappers who have been often caught up in red tape. The slick 2009 debut is ample reminder of the deep talents of Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9", Crooked I, and Joell Ortiz (particularly the uniquely drawling Budden). The lines are occasionally silly, but more often they are clever and ear-popping, and they're almost always provocative. Plus, despite the many chefs, the four egos play off each other almost flawlessly. SLAUGHTERHOUSE both stands as a solid record in its own right and a good omen for its four members.
While this supergroup represents three different geographical flavors of hip-hop -- Joe Budden and Joel Ortiz both from the East, Crooked I from the West, and Royce Da 5'9" coming out of Detroit -- their self-titled debut Slaughterhouse brings to mind the fiercest offerings from the N.Y.C. groups Mobb Deep and M.O.P. The album is tough, cold, and relentless to the point that you could call it limited, but unlike the aforementioned duos who act as traditional crews do, Slaughterhouse present their lyrics in a roundtable fashion. These four veteran voices trade lines with old-school open mic hunger, performing in a get-in-get out-and-prove style that comes from years of being underappreciated and mistreated. This means shock value is the thing with "Lyrical Murderers" offering both "Most rappers are comedy gold/They like their boyfriend's sodomy hole" and "I'm ridin' with my daughter in the front/With the AK in the baby's seat." Notice that another boasting track called "Microphone" follows and the redundancy becomes clear, but you wouldn't fault Devin the Dude for putting two weed songs in a row. Slaughterhouse deserve the same forgiveness when it comes to declaring war on the industry, and even if "Cuckoo" shouts "I don't need a hook for this one", tracks like the Bacardi-swingin' "Not Tonight" or the guitar rockin' "The One" show they can create radio worthy monsters without the major-label sellout. Well-chosen guests like Fatman Scoop and Pharoahe Monch increase the thug appeal while earthshaking productions from the Alchemist, DJ Khalil, and Mr. Porter seal the deal. ~ David JeffriesSpin (p.86) - "[T]he single 'The One,' which emits a stanky, rock-starry panache, could be an edgy crossover hit..."
XXL (Magazine Publisher) (p.124) - "The LP opens with `Sound Off,' where each member verbally attacks with a dizzying array of one-liners."